Enough is enough!
After facing slur and abuse
for years, both online and in person, women journalists have started speaking up,
pointing fingers to trolls those in government quarters, political activists
and social media cells of political parties.
These attacks often in the
form of coordinated campaigns are “increasingly impacting our work, mental
wellbeing and security”, reads an open letter, signed by dozens of women
journalists of Pakistan. The letters explains the nature of attacks, which
include “gender-based and sexualized abuse, discrediting, targeting and
persecution … The kind of trolling and unfettered vulgarity being experienced
subverts every norm of decency with no law enforcement agency, government or
any political party taking notice or action of what is clearly transgressing
all limits of decency and subverting every ethical standard”.
The letter details the
reasons behind these attacks on women in media, which often stem from their reporting
on critical issues which may offend a political party. They come under attack
for differing from the government or a political party’s position on any given
issue. On a few occasions, women journalists’ pictures and videos are made
viral following with gender-based slurs, threats of sexual and physical
violence. In the attacks, these journalists’ family members and colleagues’
families are not spared. In the age of photoshop and software which can doctor
and distort videos, it is easy to make a simple video or photograph dubious.
“In this context, we demand
that we be told what the official mandate of the social media cells of the
federal and provincial governments operating on tax-payers money is. Often, it
seems like the mandate of these social media cells is to discredit journalists
and analysts, without any evidence. We also demand that all other political
parties and institutions ensure verifiable transparency regarding the mandate
and operations of their respective social media wings. The Election Commission
of Pakistan should demand all political parties to submit detailed workings of
their social media cells”, reads the letter.
The women journalists demand
that the government and all political parties draw up and adopt a code of
conduct for social media teams of political parties, public bodies and other public/state
institutions; investigate within to identify networks which have been
prominently engaged in launching and running coordinated attacks, hashtag
campaigns and abusive campaigns against women in the media; initiate
investigation and take action against those officials for whom there is
evidence available that they are directly or indirectly engaged in the
discrediting and harassing women in media; Whenever a journalist lodges a
complaint with Federal Investigative Agency (FIA) or the police regarding
intimidation, threats and other forms of digital abuse, the case(s) should be
processed fairly and efficiently, without any pressure to withdraw or an
environment of victim-blaming; the Cyber Crime Wing at the FIA must set up
dedicated desks to facilitate registration of cases of digital violence against
women; the Journalist Protection Bill should be cognizant of the digital
threats and violence against journalists and facilitate effective
investigations of digital crimes against journalists. All stakeholders and
those involved (as mentioned in para 2) should be made to adhere to a culture
of no tolerance to digital abuse; and finally, we urge the government not to
use this statement as an excuse to introduce further regulations and curbs for
social media. We believe that the PTI, as the ruling party holds primary
responsibility to set the tone for progressive, positive and inclusive
political discourse and should lead by example.
The letter carries
signatures of Nasim Zehra (24 News), Quatrina Hosain (PTV), Seema Tahir (CEO News One), Asma Shirazi (Aaj
News) Meher Bokhari (Dawn News), Maria
Memon (ARY News),
Fereeha Idress (AbbTak News) Gharidah Farooqi (News
One) Tanzeela Mazhar (GTV), Yashfeen Jamal (Qalam-Camera) Javeria
Siddique (TRT), Farhat Rabbani (BBC), Shiffa Yousufzai (HUM News), Madiha Naqvi
(ARY News), Neelum Nawab (DIN News), Sana Bucha (Aaj tv), Nadiya Mirza (PTV News),
Maria Zulfiqar (HUM News), Beenish Saleem (Neo News), Farah Sadia (ATV/Public News) Afshan Qureshi from Daily Jinan, Batul
Rajput, Freelancer, Sadaf Jabbar, ARY
News, Farah Iqrar, Samaa News, Sadaf
Khan, Media Matters Nausheen Yousaf, Geo News Shazia Sikendar, Fmr. PTV Urooj
Raza Siami, Roze TV Aalia Shah, DW Aniqa
Nisar, Capital TV Iffat Rizvi,
Independent & DW Rashida Sial,
AbbTak Zahra Noor Abbas, AbbTak Huma Amir Shah, Geo
News Aneela Khan, Independent Mehr Tarar, AbbTak Alia Jawad, Geo Sports Nabeela Hafiz, VoP Nargis Janjua, Daily Jinan Sadia Kamal, APP Shazia Nayyar, Aap News
Maleeha Hashmi, freelance
Aneela Mehmood Shamim Ashraf Daily Kashmir Shazia Tahir, Freelancer Sabahat Khan, DW Pernia Khan, BBC Irfana
Yasser, BBC Urdu Nadia Suleman, BBC Urdu
Shumaila Jaffery, BBC Nazish Zafar, BBC
Munazza Anwar, BBC Sana Asif Dar, BBC Nadia Murtaza, Dawn News Ambreen Fatima, Nawa e Waqt Sophiya Anjam PTV/FM 91 Beenish Jawed, Online Journalist Ayesha
Shoaib, Neo News Mona Khan,
Independent Ghazala Naureen, AbbTak Zaryab Arif, Hum News Maria Shirazi, The News Int’l Afshan Qureshi,
Daily Jinan Rameeza Ahmad, Freelancer Fatima Nazish, Hum News Sumeera Ali, GNN News Shazia, Express TV Wajiha, Dawn News Rabia
Shahab, Dawn News Asiya Ansar, BBC Urdu
Huda Ikram, BBC Urdu Sarah Hasan, VOA
Ayesha Ehtisham, Neo News Fatima Ali, Independent Urdu Noreen Zahra, Geo News
Sumaira Latif, Geo News Saima Sajjad, Geo News
Zeynep Gürcan, CFWIJ Kiran Nazish, CFWIJ
Lubna Jerar Naqvi, KUJ Samreen Hameed, Geo News Sumeira Khan, Indus News Sanovia Chaudhry,
Geo News Uneeba Zamir Shah, Geo News
Fatima Saleem, Geo News Dilrukshi
Handunnetti (Sri Lanka) Hamna Malik, Voice of Balochistan Laiba Zainab, Sujag Naheed Jahangir,
Tribal News Asma Ali Zain, Arab
News Sana Jamal, Gulf
News Sehrish Khokar, ARY News Madiha Abid Ali, Dunya News Mona Khan, Independent Urdu Sehrish
Lodhi, PTV Diya Rehman, Radio
Pakistan Shafaq Iqbal,
Nawa-e-Waqt Irum Zaeem, Samaa TV Sitara Jabeen, TRT World Moneeba Iftekhar, APP
Riffat Shah, Aap News Tanzeela Rania, Aaj News
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